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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28598907">sunny drowns an 8 year old (don't worry it works out fine)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobody_home/pseuds/nobody_home'>nobody_home</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>OMORI (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Attempt at Humor, Enemies to Friends, Eventual Happy Ending, Everyone Is Gay, First Kiss, Fix-It of Sorts, Flowers, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Other, Sleepovers, Spiders, Various Phobias, bad bad update schedule, flashbacks woahhh, i swear i'll write more of this, im bad at using ao3 sigh, kel and aubrey get to SWEAR, kids under 10 suck, mari and hero are College students, mari lives, mario kart and gay people, we've got creative spirit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:29:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,036</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28598907</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobody_home/pseuds/nobody_home</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>title says it all</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aubrey &amp; Hero &amp; Kel &amp; Sunny (OMORI), Aubrey &amp; Sunny (OMORI), Aubrey/Kim (OMORI), Basil/Sunny (OMORI), Hero &amp; Kel (OMORI), Mari &amp; Sunny (OMORI)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>238</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i do not write a lot but when i do it's in powerful and short bursts please enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing Sunny realised, opening his door, was that the sun was bright and warm on his skin but stung his eyes. The sky was blue with great large clouds and the sun a white hot centre of it.<br/>
“Woah, hey Sunny. I didn’t expect you to come out!” Kel grinned, standing on his doorstep. </p><p>Sunny nodded. He wasn’t really waiting for anything. Kel was here and outside was warm and welcoming. He could hear birds chirping, cars passing on the road every few seconds. </p><p>“Mari… she was thinking you’d come out for me. I didn’t think she’d be right.” </p><p>The peaceful air was disturbed by the slow awkward crawl Kel was taking, scratching his neck nervously. He wasn’t looking Sunny in the eye but he didn’t stop smiling.<br/>
He waited for Sunny to say something but the silent minute maybe told him more than words could have.</p><p>“I—Well, Mari was thinking you should get out of the house for a bit… Hero is visiting tomorrow and I have some stuff to get. Maybe you’d want to help me out?”</p><p>Sunny nodded. His body was trying to turn autopilot back on so he could escape this but he’d be surprised if Kel would let that happen. He was too bright, too loud, and he was taller, much taller, than when Sunny had last seen him.<br/>
He let Sunny walk beside him and didn’t really try to take the lead. Actually, Sunny noticed Kel's shoes hit the ground at the same time as Sunny's, matching Sunny's pace exactly all the way down from the driveway to the house-lined street. </p><p>"Hero's been super busy at school. How has Mari been?" Kel asked.</p><p>Sunny shook his head, watching his shoes land above the cracks in the sidewalk. He didn't know how Mari was, they didn't talk. He didn't answer her calls and the days she visited home she spent talking to mom and playing the piano. She'd collapse into bed late at night while Sunny was pretending he was asleep. He wondered if Kel knew. He wondered what Mari had really asked of him.<br/>
His hands were clasped in front of his chest, vaguely aware of his heart beating in his chest. Kel hummed some song and his feet fell on the cracks now, walking faster than Sunny was.<br/>
There were wildflowers growing between the trees beside the sidewalk, scattered white and purple petals. The wind shook them gently. Basil didn't photograph plants, he liked people, capturing small moments with his camera because he thought it was beautiful.<br/>
Sunny felt himself collide and looked up at Kel, who just nodded at him with the same smile stuck to his face. A car passed and Kel nodded forward signalling they should cross. Kids shouted and laughed at the playground. Each step felt slower than the last.</p><p>"So! First we've gotta find Hero a present! What do you think? Should we try Hobbeez?" Kel turned to face him. Sunny nodded, eyes glued to the cracks of the sidewalk. Kel placed a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"You can pick the gift!" </p><p>Hobbeez was more or less the same. Sunny stared at the comic book display, stomach churning.<br/>
What did Hero like? Maybe he should've asked Kel what he was going to school for. Hero probably still cooked but Sunny doubted he'd want two copies of the same cookbook. Probably better to find something else. There were shelves of vinyl records, but Sunny didn't know what music Hero liked, or if he even had anything to play vinyl on. Music was probably out of the question. He wrung his hands, looking for anything the Hero he remembered would want. </p><p>"Hey, what about this?" Kel shouted behind him. Sunny looked back, heartbeat dying down in his chest.<br/>
The cookbook. Of course. Kel would know a good present for his brother so any questions Sunny could have weren't worth asking. </p><p>"Alright, shopkeep! How much?" Kel asked at the counter.<br/>
Sunny wandered over to an arcade game. He remembered this one. Captain Spaceboy. He didn't think he had any coins to play with. It had a heroic theme quietly playing on the screen. He couldn't remember the other arcade game in Hobbeez ever working. </p><p>"Sunny, c'mon! Oh hey! That's that game your sister loved. I don't think we have any time to play it, sorry…" </p><p>Sunny turned away from the game, waiting for Kel to say something. The other boy seemed deep in thought.<br/>
"Next we have to go to Gino's, then pick up cookies from the bakery. Ok?" Kel asked quietly. Sunny nodded, walking out of Hobbeez with his stomach doing flips. Kel passed by him, heading to the pizza place next to Hobbeez. Hero and the cashier talked about something that Sunny ignored, staring at the various posters and the jukebox. They had bright advertisements for stuff like special discount meals. They used to come here every Thursday when everything was cheaper and go over to someone's house and watch movies together. Aubrey had this CD she liked to put in the jukebox and she'd grab Sunny by the hands and dance with him.<br/>
It took him a second to realise Kel was standing by the door waiting for Sunny to come back to reality.<br/>
Sunny nodded at him and they headed to the supermarket. </p><p>"This was nice." Kel smiled at him, Hero's gifts in his hands. Sunny held the cookbook tightly to his side.<br/>
He nodded to Kel, handing him the cookbook once they reached Sunny's front door. Kel turned and walked down the driveway, but he stopped abruptly. Sunny stood silently, itching to walk through the door back to the safety of his room.</p><p>"Hey, Sunny?"</p><p>Kel didn't turn, he stayed at the end of the driveway with his head down.</p><p>"Yes?" Sunny asked, hopefully loud enough. He was bad at raising his voice but Kel had been good at hearing him.<br/>
"I'll come back tomorrow. I'm sure Hero will want to see you."<br/>
Kel left, sneakers tapping quietly on the sidewalk. </p><p> </p><p>Sunny woke up to the sun on his face. His mom had left schoolwork on his desk but he didn't really think he would get any of it done today. He grabbed his sketchbook, flipping to a blank page and writing '11/19/20' in black pen.<br/>
Three pages had been filled in purple and pink scribbles by the time he heard a knock on his door. He closed the sketchbook carefully and walked step by step down the staircase, finding Kel standing and grinning on his doorstep again. </p><p>"Let's visit Aubrey!"</p><p>Sunny's heart plummeted and he closed the door, running up the stairs that seemed much longer now, taller and more daunting. He flipped to a black page and scribbled in angry reds and blacks, hands shaking.</p><p> </p><p>Basil blew on his tea, steam rising into the air. He crossed his legs, sitting next to Kel as he flipped through tv channels. </p><p>"I visited Sunny today."</p><p>Ripples formed each time Basil blew and he watched them grow until they reached the walls of the mug.</p><p>"He closed the door on me."</p><p>"He's Sunny, why do you give a shit?" Aubrey asked, stirring her own tea at the counter. </p><p>Kel paused, finger hovering over the remote button. Basil looked up, heart fluttering anxiously. Fights were normal for them but today he really hoped they could just relax and not bother with the back and forth screaming matches to see who would lose their temper first. </p><p>"Do you really still hate him? We don't even-"</p><p>"We know what happened, Kel, stop being stupid. He's probably more of a freak than before, stop getting your hopes up."<br/>
Aubrey kicked at him, sitting down and sipping on her tea. She'd used one of Basil's grandmother's more ornate cups, covered in detailed art of pink flowers.</p><p>"Don't say shit like that, Aubrey." Kel sighed, shaking his head. She scoffed at him, turning away.</p><p>"Just pick something already."</p><p>Once Aubrey was asleep and Kel had gone home for Hero, Basil stepped outside, careful to close the door quietly. He knew Polly got nervous when he left without saying anything, he'd have to make his walk short.<br/>
There was a path that he'd found between patches of white and yellow wildflowers and tall bigtooth aspen trees.<br/>
Not exactly a path, but lines of flattened ferns and grass that kids probably walked and biked through. The sun was still setting so the sky was more purple than navy and Basil could see the outlines of houses the deeper he went into the trees. The path split off in a few directions but the small blanket of deciduous trees didn't really have anything interesting in it, it just led to backyards. It could be a pretty easy way to get poison ivy, or mosquito bites on more humid nights.<br/>
He didn't walk this path often, but he knew the right turns to take to loop around to where he entered. He stopped where the trail forked off and sighed, feeling his heart calm. There was no sound here, just the wind in the trees and his steady, careful breathing.<br/>
Basil made his way around, passing by the wildflowers and back to the couch where Aubrey was still sleeping. He sat down and turned the tv back on, too early for him to feel tired.</p><p> </p><p>Sunny woke up to knocking on his door. Rolling over in his bed, he thought briefly that he could just ignore it but the longer he laid there the louder the knocking got.<br/>
He made his way down the stairs step by step staring at his feet and opened the door.</p><p>"Hey Sunny! I missed you yesterday."<br/>
Hero was at the door today. Smiling gently, he waited for Sunny to say something.</p><p>Sunny nodded when he realised Hero wasn't gonna say more, his fingers tapping nervously on the doorknob. </p><p>"I was wondering if you'd like to visit today? Basil, Kel, Aubrey and I are gonna order some pizza and watch a few movies since I've gotta go back up to the school tomorrow." </p><p>The ground seemed to fall from under Sunny's feet. But here Hero was. Nothing had really collapsed. Hero was maybe a foot and a few inches taller than Sunny, which he always had been. The distance just seemed bigger now in Sunny's head. They weren't level height-wise and never would be, but they were standing on the same ground, Sunny wasn't plummeting down a cliff no matter how he felt, even if he could feel the ghost of a sharp and bitter wind, even if his legs were jelly and he couldn't feel the mat under his feet he was still here.<br/>
His friends had visited Sunny a few times, but Sunny stopped answering the door.<br/>
He knew it disappointed Mari. She used to argue with him, telling him how much his friends missed him. Eventually Mari got busy with college and stopped talking to him. Stopped being home most days, but she stopped making an effort to visit.<br/>
He knew he'd disappointed her, spending his days sleeping and drawing, and he knew he'd disappointed Basil. He'd gotten rid of the small plant, a kalanchoe, which he'd kept on his bedside table. It had died from neglect. Basil had given it to him as a congratulations for doing well at the recital.<br/>
He'd disappointed Hero, who used to help him study, who used to let him sit in his room and play games with him when Sunny would get anxious.<br/>
Kel and Aubrey had been the first to stop visiting him. Maybe he'd let them down the most.</p><p>Sunny nodded, opening the door wider so Hero could sit inside while he changed into better clothes. </p><p>"I got Sunny to come"<br/>
Basil put his phone face down on Kel's bed, heart beating fast in his chest. Kel let out a little excited shout.<br/>
"What are you so happy about, asshole?" Aubrey asked, looking over at them. She was sitting on a bean bag playing Mario Kart.</p><p>"Sunny's coming!"</p><p>Aubrey scowled, pausing the game.</p><p>"Hero went to get him and he texted the groupchat. I guess they're heading over now."</p><p>"Whatever." </p><p>Basil got up and made his way to the bathroom, trying to steady his breathing once he was alone. The door downstairs clicked, open and shut. He heard Hero shout that he was back.<br/>
Basil guessed it had been at least two years since he'd seen Sunny for the last time. He couldn't remember what they'd said or done very clearly. All he really knew was as soon as he was back home Basil wouldn't get another chance to see him. He sat in the middle of the bathroom floor, trying to ease himself out of the dark, nauseous feeling that made it so hard for him to stand.<br/>
Two pairs of feet walked up the stairs and past the bathroom door to Kel and Hero's room. Basil could hear muffled hellos and conversation starting next to him. He sighed and left the bathroom, shaky hands twisting the doorknob to the bedroom. </p><p>"Hey Hero, hey Sunny." Basil forced a smile, going back to his seat on Kel's bed. That's a few feet away from Sunny, that's fine. Sunny had chosen to sit on Hero's bed but Hero was sitting next to Aubrey on the floor, invested in her solo Mario Kart game.<br/>
Sunny didn't say anything. He was just sitting blankly five feet away, staring at his own hands, balled into fits in his lap.<br/>
Maybe Sunny would see Basil staring at him, maybe Basil should just talk to Kel and watch Aubrey play Mario Kart. </p><p>"Can we play a team game next?" Kel asked, groaning.</p><p>"No, fuck off." Aubrey snapped, hands tightening on the wiimote. </p><p>"Stop hogging my Wii!" </p><p>"Let Aubrey finish her grand prix, then we can play." Hero interrupted.</p><p>Kel moped, falling back onto his bed. </p><p>"Hey Basil, wanna play Mario Kart?"</p><p>"Yeah, sure." Basil mumbled, hands gripping his ankles.</p><p>"What about you, Sunny?" Kel shot up and leaned forward. Basil looked past him at the screen, trying to ignore that Sunny was here at all. </p><p>Maybe Sunny hated him. Maybe he would ignore him too. His nails dug into his skin, heart pounding.</p><p>"Aw, you don't wanna play Mario Kart? Come on, we need a fourth player and Hero sucks!"<br/>
Hero snorted, shaking his head. </p><p>"I wouldn't be better than him." </p><p>Basil's mind blanked. He sounded different. Of course he did, but Basil didn't think to prepare himself, he hadn't really thought about it. His voice was just as monotone as when they were kids, exchanging tiny comments to each other while they worked together in class or about their friends, about anything on their minds, really. He never said a lot, but the gentle words he gave to Basil on late nights when he missed his parents were the only thing Basil remembered making him feel better.<br/>
His voice had been softer then, and it wasn't as deep as it was now. He'd always been a kid in Basil's mind since he hadn't really gotten to see him get older like he had with Kel and Aubrey.<br/>
Comparing just his voice to his last memories of Sunny talking made his heart leap. Things had changed a lot more than Basil had realised.</p><p>"Stop being such a bitch, c'mon, it's Mario Kart time!" </p><p>Kel and Aubrey arguing again pulled Basil out of his thoughts. Kel handed him a wiimote and started up a vs. race.<br/>
Aubrey stuck with King Boo, Kel picked Peach and Hero picked Daisy. Basil went for his usual character, Yoshi. He didn't really play video games all that much so he didn't think he'd win any of the races.</p><p>Sunny usually picked Dry Bones, Basil remembered. Sunny wasn't good at Mario Kart either, at least he wasn't when they were twelve. Sunny had kinda just played Animal Crossing but Basil had a vague memory of the one time he played Smash Bros. with them and sweeped the floor with them, ending the game before Basil even had a chance to do anything, taking their lives out in seconds.<br/>
Mari had laughed so hard that day. She had also given Sunny the wiimote. The others never asked him to play Smash after that…</p><p>Aubrey was the best at Mario Kart. It wasn't really a competition. Kel kept picking Moonview Highway every time it was his turn to choose and Aubrey had seemed ready to throw him off a cliff for it, but she'd still won every race.<br/>
She grabbed the player one wiimote from Kel, ignoring his protesting and starting up another solo game. Kel fell back onto the bed with a groan, probably bored with nothing to do now.<br/>
"Hey, Hero, when's the pizza getting here?"</p><p>"Probably soon." Hero shrugged, getting off the floor and moving to sit next to Basil. </p><p>Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sunny disappear through the door, closing it quietly behind him.<br/>
He looked down, shaking his head. He shouldn't be so stressed. They'd have pizza and watch movies, there wasn't anything wrong, there was nothing to worry about.<br/>
Something just felt wrong.</p><p> </p><p>There was a knock at the door that pulled Sunny back into reality. He watched his feet as they hit the stairs one-by-one, cracking open the door to Hero's smiling face.</p><p> "Hey! Wanna get your sister for the picnic?" </p><p>Sunny held up a finger, closing the door carefully. He stepped into the piano room, Mari hunched over a pile of sheet music.<br/>
"Sunny! What's up?"</p><p>"Hero is at the door. For the picnic."</p><p>Her eyes widened and she cursed too quietly for him to hear.<br/>
"Of course, of course, I just lost track of time, I'll be right out. You can go ahead." She smiled, but she'd gone back to scribbling on the sheet music. </p><p>Hero looked at him, waiting for him to say something as he sidestepped around him.<br/>
"Is she coming?"</p><p>"She will." Sunny nodded. Hero kicked at the ground as he waited. The heat of the summer started to fade, along with the sun, which had started to inch out of view. </p><p>"I'm gonna check on her, Kel will go insane if we wait longer." Hero laughed lightly, disappearing into the door. Sunny sat on the grass in his front yard, watching for bugs passing through the grass. There were ants congregating around an ant hill. He watched them be swallowed by the darkness one by one, slowly. Basil had said ant nests can be huge and you'd have no idea cause all the tunnels would spread out underground. He'd told him how ants can make soil better for flowers, talking in the garden with a small one crawling on his finger.<br/>
A spider crawled over his shoe and he jolted, shoe thrown off too fast for him to really think about it until it had landed next to a bush deeper in the grass.<br/>
He huffed, leaning back with the pavement of his driveway digging into his hands. </p><p>Mari shouted suddenly but the sound of the door slamming as she rushed over to him was clearer, more of a warning than her cut off 'oh!' had been to him.</p><p>"What happened? Are you okay?"</p><p>Sunny gulped and nodded, pointing to his shoe in the yard. Mari walked across the grass in sandals easily, dusting the shoe off and holding it out to him. </p><p>His stomach did a flip, wondering where the spider might have gone, small and black like his shoes and too quick, maybe he hadn't kicked it away fast enough or it had crawled inside his shoe.</p><p>Hero's hand rested on his shoulder. "Is there something wrong with your shoes?"</p><p>Sunny's eyes narrowed. No, this was stupid. Shaking his head quickly, he grabbed the shoe and put it on, blocking out any paranoid thoughts. It was just a spider anyways. </p><p>"Okay…" Hero paused, glancing around, "Basil is the only other one who isn't at the park yet. C'mon."<br/>
Hero was a leader, he grabbed Sunny's hand and helped him up and walked in front of them, down the road towards Basil's street.</p><p>Sunny felt a crawling sensation on his leg and his heart jumped to his throat as he felt it crawl higher and higher, his skin burning. </p><p>"Sunny!" Mari shouted. His heart was pounding in his ears, running back up the street to his home, to his shower where he could drown whatever was infesting his skin.<br/>
With his head under the water he heard the distant voice of Hero saying he would stay and wait, the sound of the door closing. Sunny would have to tell Hero he wasn't going anymore, watching droplets fall from his hair to the floor of his shower, quick and heavy and arrhythmic, he could hear his heartbeat jumping back into his ears again, streams of water crawling down his back to his legs to the ground under his feet. </p><p> </p><p>There was a spider in the corner of the bathroom. Sunny had locked the door, he hadn't noticed until he brought his head up from his hands, sitting on the lid of the toilet seat. It had creaked when he sat down. He had been worried but he could hear the tv speakers. muffled through the walls. The others probably didn't hear it at all.<br/>
The spider was sitting comfortably in a web that was catching nothing but dust. It wasn't that big. It just had long legs. It could probably move fast. It was right next to the door that Sunny had to unlock and walk through to get out. If the spider was too big to crawl under the door it would be scarier but it's small enough to fit, small enough to latch onto his sock or the cuff of his pants.<br/>
He wasn't going to call for help. He and the spider were two unwelcome guests. Sunny more than the spider, actually, Basil had explained how spiders could be crucial even in houses because of all the smaller pests that spiders kept away.<br/>
At the time Basil had been trying to comfort Hero, who'd found a spider in his bed and refused to go near his room after.<br/>
Sunny was the pest and surely this spider would prefer to keep him out, keep him away, the way Basil said. </p><p>He wasn't sure how long he sat there, staring at the unmoving spider, but an unexpected knock made him jump and the toilet lid creaked from the sudden movement. Whoever was at the door probably heard it this time.</p><p>"Hey Sunny! You've been in there a while… Anyway, I need to use the bathroom, would you mind?" Kel sounded kinda sheepish from the other side. </p><p>This would take something. He would have to do something. The spider shook on its web, crawling maybe a millimetre higher. That was the first time Sunny saw it move.<br/>
Plotting against a pest.<br/>
Sunny stood up, wincing at the louder, angrier creak the toilet lid made. </p><p>"You okay Sunny?" Kel asked, voice a bit softer than it usually was.<br/>
This spider was making him more of a pest than he liked to be. He washed his hands, he wasn't sure why. Probably instinct. Bathrooms felt dirty no matter what you did in them.<br/>
He paused, gripping the towel. He had to get close to the door. He didn't want to. There was a solution.<br/>
As quickly as he could, without thinking, he threw the towel into the corner. It made a bit of a sound as it whipped through the air, landing in the spider corner. Sunny waited a few seconds, watching closely for any movement, any black speck racing towards whoever disturbed its home. </p><p>There was another knock. </p><p>"Uh, Sunny?" </p><p>Calmly, satisfied, Sunny unlocked the door with a click. Kel looked puzzled and he stared at Sunny for a few seconds. </p><p>"Okay. Thanks…"</p><p>They sidestepped past each other. The door creaked when Kel closed it, but Sunny didn't hear it hit the frame. </p><p>"No, Kevin! What the hell happened!" Kel wailed, distraught. Or maybe acting distraught.<br/>
Hero peeked out of the bedroom door, glancing at Sunny. Gears seemed to turn in his head. Kel was holding the hand towel in his arms in mourning.</p><p>"Did you kill his spider?"</p><p>Sunny's mouth opened and closed. Nobody would keep a small house spider like that as a pet. </p><p>"The spider next to the bathroom door? Did you kill it?"</p><p>Sunny shook his head. They both seemed upset. He'd messed up. He didn't understand why Kel was so upset over the spider but he'd be mad at Sunny if he knew. </p><p>"Kevin is gone!" Kel made a loud sobbing sound. Oh god. Oh god.</p><p>"Finally! That thing showed up like two days ago and hasn't done anything since. I swear I saw a cockroach in there this morning." Hero laughed, punching the air like he'd won. </p><p>"What?" Sunny looked between the two of them. They had complete opposite reactions. Hero ignored him, walking over to Kel and giving him a very halfhearted pat on the shoulder.</p><p>"There, there, bud. There'll be a new Kevin someday. An even better Kevin."</p><p>Even if Hero sounded sympathetic, he was grinning. </p><p>"I don't want a new Kevin! I want THE Kevin!" </p><p>"Please just go pee, stop being dramatic." </p><p>Kel didn't drop the act but he dropped the hand towel in the laundry basket, wiping dry eyes and making little crying sounds even after Hero had left the bathroom. Sunny trailed behind Hero back into the bedroom, sitting back down on the bed as if nothing had happened. Aubrey and Basil didn't look at him. The pizza had come in the minutes he was gone, and the box now sat on the floor next to Aubrey, along with a stack of dirty paper plates. </p><p>"We'll watch the movies once Kel is back, right?" Aubrey asked, too focused on Mario Kart to look over at Hero. </p><p>"Of course! Oh, Sunny, there's still plenty of pizza. Want some now?" Hero held out the last remaining clean paper plate.<br/>
He nodded and grabbed a slice. </p><p>The first movie they put on was one Basil had chosen.<br/>
A Dog's Purpose… Sunny got a bit bored. He didn't really like these types of movies. Hero cried easily, maybe twenty minutes in. Basil didn't, but he hugged a pillow close to him. Sunny probably shouldn't focus too much on Basil. Basil didn't seem to want him to.<br/>
Kel had picked Clueless. Sunny didn't want to admit it or show it but he did like Clueless. He'd forgotten most of it since Kel hadn't been forcing him to watch it, so it was a bit like his first time again. Aubrey wasn't very amused, though.<br/>
She'd chosen a horror movie, It. He didn't really know anything about it and he wished he had cause he would've looked away from the screen sooner. He didn't like the way it sounded, though. Curling up in a ball would maybe make him covering his ears more inconspicuous. The others seemed distracted by the movie anyways. He could hear muffled screams from Kel. Basil didn't seem to be doing well, in a genuine way. He winced every time the movie got a bit scarier and every time he glanced over at Sunny he'd panic and look back at the screen without realising the crisis wasn't really averted.<br/>
They calmed down with Hero's movie choice, Ratatouille. Sunny was tired enough by then. He lied down in Hero's bed and fell asleep halfway in. Hopefully tomorrow will be a shorter day.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His house always seemed to pull him back. Maybe it was where he truly belonged. Kel had given him a sad look when they got to the door, but Sunny felt the best thing to do was leave early enough that Basil could write it off as a bad dream. </p><p>He'd never been the first awake at a sleepover before. </p><p>He crawled into Mari's bed, too tired to dwell on the events of the past two days. <br/>There was a world he preferred more where Aubrey would dare to look at him and Mari could still give him piggybacks to the treehouse. <br/>It never really felt the same without Mari reading a book next to him, Mewo curled up by the foot of the bed. <br/>They still had all her books. They would be collecting dust on the shelf if Sunny didn't speed through them over and over again. Mari was a picky reader. She liked avoiding big names. She liked fantasy stories about a group of friends exploring different worlds, helping each other, she hated romance and big epic battles bored her. She liked to whisper to an almost-asleep Sunny, "Hey, this character reminds me of you," with a bright, happy smile on her face. </p><p>Sunny could see why she'd loved these books so much. Always six characters, always a version of Hero, a version of Kel, a version of Aubrey, a version of Basil, a version of Mari, maybe some version of Sunny. It was so perfect for her, for them. <br/>Perfect for them to traverse different worlds for their friends, with their friends. <br/>He didn't know how she'd managed to find so many perfect little stories of them. Mari had always been amazing, in that sense. She knew them so well.<br/>And she'd only shared these worlds with Sunny. Maybe she knew down the line he would cling to those stories, to the memories of those serene nights where he'd felt so safe in her bed.<br/>It really didn't feel the same without her and Mewo but he didn't really want to move. </p><p> </p><p>Basil woke up late that morning. Hero was already making breakfast - he could tell from the soft chatter downstairs, the sound of something being fried and light laughter. Hero always made people feel so comfortable, without fail. <br/>When he got downstairs he realised only the three of them were there. So Sunny had left early. He hadn't really looked like he'd wanted to be there all night. Basil should've expected him to be out of the door as hastily as possible. Maybe he'd been uncomfortable. Basil shouldn't dwell on it. Sunny would be fine. <br/>Kel and Aubrey were back to arguing, but they stopped and each gave Basil a smile when he sat down as they waited for breakfast to be ready.</p><p>"Hero, you're driving back today, right?" Aubrey asked through a mouthful of french toast.</p><p>Hero nodded, too polite to talk while he was eating. </p><p>"We had a nice farewell party, hopefully it'll keep you gone for a few months." Kel smirked. He'd finished first. Basil was glad it was just lighthearted teasing. He would really miss Hero while he was gone. Their group didn't really get to hang out together often anymore.</p><p>"You really outdid yourself." Hero said, trying to put on a wise mentor face. <br/>It didn't really work well.</p><p>"I'll have to make sure to work even harder for next time then!" <br/>Aubrey rolled her eyes at Kel.<br/>Hopefully next time would be laid-back too. Kel loved surprising them but Basil liked it best when it was the six- the four of them watching movies together. Plus medical school was probably stressful. Hero wouldn't want something too big either. </p><p>They stayed at Kel's until Hero left. Kel seemed to have an endless amount of games they could play together although most of them were sports which got a bit confusing since Basil didn't know any of the rules and Aubrey could get pretty irritated when her team lost. </p><p>They sat on Kel's doorstep and watched Hero take off down the road after having a more solemn goodbye. None of them liked being the sad one, so Kel launched them into another conversation until they were ready to leave. </p><p>"I've gotta go." Aubrey brushed her pants off, standing up.</p><p>"Where to?" Kel asked.</p><p>"Kim and I are hanging out today." She averted her eyes, probably trying not to look embarrassed. </p><p>Kel snickered, "Good luck!" <br/>She kicked him in the shin when he winked at her, walking down the driveway out of sight.</p><p>"I guess that means it's your turn too, Basil." Kel asked, looking at his socked feet on the gravel of the driveway.</p><p>Basil nodded, standing up. </p><p>"I'll see you later Kel. This was really nice!" He made sure to smile as bright as he could, waving as he made his own way down the road to his grandma's. He spent a few hours gardening, watching bugs crawl in the soil as he watered the plants that needed it. He could see Polly through the window doing the dishes. She smiled at him when she noticed but he couldn't find it in him to smile back, so he stayed outside doing extra work until there were no more weeds to pull. Winter was coming, so he'd probably have to find something else to do while there were no plants. A lot of them were already starting to wither which is nothing he could control. He and Polly ate lunch in silence and he headed up to say hi to his grandmother even though she probably couldn't hear him. The white egret orchid on her bedside table looked fine, even if it wasn't blooming anymore. <br/>He did homework in his room until dinner, then went on another walk once Polly was in her own room. <br/>School was starting to get busy since it was reaching late winter and the teacher's expectations were growing. Aubrey didn't really seem to care at all, so she probably stayed out late with Kim today. She didn't like talking about it but Basil knew she was really happy with her. <br/>Mari would be proud of her even if she was a bit more rebellious than she'd been a few years ago. <br/>Most of the houses around still had lights on. It wasn't really late enough for people to be asleep yet. Basil could lie down in his bed and read a book until he was tired enough to sleep once he got back. </p><p> </p><p>Sunny woke up to a pitch black sky. He must've fallen asleep somewhere into the story since the book was still open next to his head. He stretched, staring at the ceiling. Today had been an okay day. He grabbed his journal and started sketching, trying to ignore the ticking of the clock every second. Trying to ignore the way his pencil wandered to a boy with a flower in his hair who refused to look forward no matter how many times Sunny drew him.<br/>He didn't realise how swallowed into the pages he'd gotten until he looked at the clock and realised three hours had passed and his hand was covered in pencil. He would go back to sleep if he was tired enough. The sun would rise in maybe three more hours but he didn't really have anything to do. He tried to draw but the pencil felt like hot iron in his hand and he found it hard to tear his eyes away from the bedroom door. The shadows from the hall outside seemed to leak into his bedroom like tipped over ink. Each time the bedroom lamp flickered and got a bit dimmer he could see the shadows lurch forward only to be pushed away again. He clasped his hands together, focusing on the sound of the ticking clock, the sound of his breathing, counting in his head and waiting for something to happen with dread. </p><p>Sunny woke up to loud knocking. He made his way downstairs, careful not to trip and fall, and opened the door. Kel and Basil were waiting. Basil had a picnic basket.</p><p>"Hey, Sunny! Wanna come down to the hideout today? It'd just be us three." Kel had a big smile on his face. <br/>Sunny shook his head and the smile faltered. The sun was bright in the sky but he could still feel the darkness in his house reaching for him again. <br/>Basil wouldn't look at him.<br/>"Really? That sucks. See you later, then…" Kel waved, trying to keep the smile glued to his face. He just ended up with an awkward grimace, though. Basil was already halfway down the driveway when Sunny closed the door. </p><p>He drew a boy with blue flowers in blonde hair and tried not to worry about how alone he felt.</p><p>Sunny woke up to loud knocking at his door.<br/>He made his way down the dark staircase and remembered to breathe. He opened it to an angry face and pink hair.<br/>She didn't say anything to him, just shoved a book into his arms with a huff and turned away. He closed the door and ran up the stairs, sitting on Mari's bed and opening it up. </p><p>'Basil's Memories'</p><p>All the photos were scratched out with black marker. He couldn't see anyone's faces. The last few photos were damp and torn at the edges. When he looked up he jumped back at the sight of a shadow that he realised on a second glance wasn't there, and looking back at the album brought more confusion when he realised there was only one photo surrounded by hastily written words. He could feel cold hands on his shoulders now but he couldn't look away, this was a message from Basil that he couldn't ignore. <br/>"I'm sorry. Please stay with me for a little. I don't feel very good. I'm sorry. I love you, Sunny. We can find Mari in a few minutes. I'm sorry. Just give me a second. I need a second. Sunny, wait. Sunny don't leave. I'm sorry. Give me a second. Stay here. I love you. Stay here. Give me a second. Sunny please don't leave we can look for Mari after." </p><p>The text spiralled around the photo like it was devouring him. The hands tightened around his shoulders. There was a wheezing breath in his ear that should've been a word or something. He couldn't breathe. The photo was dark and shadowed but he knew what it was. His own face stared back at him, eyes wide from the camera flash, hands pushed under murky water. <br/>Hero was running into the lake in the background. There was a slow, steady wheezing breath. The hands trailed up to his neck and he felt his lungs start screaming, heard himself coughing and choking from somewhere far away before jolting up in his own bed, gasping for air. The sky outside was blue. The clock ticked on the wall. He ate leftovers, sitting at a table with three empty chairs. </p><p>A knock at the door startled him. </p><p>"I'm sorry. For everything." </p><p>Basil didn't wait for him to open the door. </p><p>"You might not even be awake, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."</p><p>His hand shook as he turned the doorknob, face to face with a teary eyed Basil. He had no flowers intertwined with his hair today. He missed when Basil would wear the flower crown, a prince in their treehouse, ruling over scattered toys and a deck of cards, asking Sunny to go down and fill up a watering can for the pot of pink carnations that sat on the windowsill. Sunny always did. <br/>For a prince with a crown of colourful flowers, he'd slay any dragon, even fear, even if it was just for a watering can and even if it meant making his way up the ladder with only one hand to rely on. <br/>Mari would call him brave. He knew there was something she wanted to ask instead.</p><p>"Sunny…"</p><p>Basil couldn't meet his eyes. He wiped his tears away, fidgeting anxiously. Sunny moved out of his way, asking him to come inside. <br/>He did. He kicked his shoes off and they went up to Sunny's room and sat across from each other on the beds and Basil didn't seem able to stop crying.<br/>Sunny was happy to wait for him, as long as it would take. </p><p>"I'm really sorry. I, uh, I just.. Sorry. I got back from the hospital just now, I'm such a mess."</p><p>Sunny nodded, even though he didn't really know what he meant. He just needed to show he was waiting, and he was listening. </p><p>"I've been so worried lately. I'm afraid you hate me. I got so cold to you... I can't really forgive myself for it. You… You probably understand, right?"</p><p>Basil looked in his eyes now, puffy blue eyes full of grief.</p><p>Sunny nodded and Basil grabbed his hand, gripping it gently.</p><p>"I'm so sorry. I love you. We're friends, right? Even after… after all these years, we're still friends?"</p><p>Sunny nodded again. Basil's hands were warm. He wished he could hug him, he was always so gentle. He was so used to treating delicate flowers. </p><p>"Okay. Okay, okay, you're my friend and I love you and I'm sorry."</p><p>Sunny got up and sat next to Basil on Mari's bed, clasping their hands together. </p><p>Mari and Hero had gotten up and left for a minute to grab some snacks and Aubrey and Kel were deep in the water, probably having a contest over something, but Basil and Sunny were sitting at the edge of the lake. They were both soaked and Basil was just talking to him in scattered sentences. There had been a spider on Sunny's arm, which had left it up to Basil to calm him down, talking about how misunderstood spiders were and how it was probably much more scared of Sunny than Sunny was of the spider.</p><p> There were a few more people around. A young boy that Sunny recognised from school swam towards them and asked what was wrong.<br/>"My friend is just scared of spiders." Basil answered with a light laugh.<br/>The boy laughed too, in a more mocking way than Basil ever would. But he left them alone until they got back in the water. <br/>Basil was challenging himself to go deeper but Sunny was watching his feet touch the sand and sea grass while Basil talked mindlessly about gardening and spiders and how his parents were coming home soon. </p><p>There was a loud splash and a yelp and a familiar laugh and Sunny couldn't remember what happened until he heard Mari and Hero shouting at him and saw Basil on the ground at the foot of the lake, coughing and heaving for air. <br/>Hero grabbed Sunny by the shoulders and pulled him off the young kid that had laughed at them earlier. Mari pulled Sunny by the arm out of the lake and scolded him while Hero tended to the kid who couldn't have been older than ten years old. Basil just sobbed, curled up in the grass a few feet away.</p><p>Mari had taken him home with such a grim expression and she'd pressed him on what had happened and why he'd done that and he couldn't find an answer. </p><p>Basil wrapped his arms around Sunny's neck, crying into the crook of his shoulder. </p><p>Sunny sighed and felt his shoulders relax. He wrapped his arms around Basil, hoping it would be reassuring to him. <br/>He wished he could hold him closer and tell him it was okay.<br/>Sunny didn't really think it was. He didn't know why Basil was here, he didn't understand why Basil was the one apologising. He felt out of place even though Basil seemed to fit in with him so perfectly.<br/>Basil whispered words into his chest that he couldn't hear and Sunny rubbed his back and the clock on the wall ticked with each passing second. </p><p>His guilt was plastered to the bedroom walls, it clung to the ceiling fan and it hovered at his door waiting for him to love it the way he could love Basil.<br/>It found him on a summer day that could've been perfect and it watched over him, sticky and suffocating. He wished he could move on without reminding himself that it could have been Basil that he held under the water.<br/>The truth stuck to the wallpaper and he ignored it for years and drew what he wished he could be. </p><p>When Basil stopped crying, he sat up and rubbed at his eyes and breathed slowly, staring at his own hands in his lap. Sunny waited for something to happen.<br/>Basil just looked at him. Maybe it was Basil's turn to wait.</p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>Basil laughed when he said that. Sunny didn't understand what could be funny about it. </p><p>"It's okay." Basil said. He grabbed Sunny's hand and the clock ticked and the truth would hang from his ceiling and ask him to fix it. Sunny hoped he could.</p><p>"I love you too." </p><p> </p><p>Sunny felt that was something he had to say. It made Basil smile. He didn't think he would ever want to take it back when he saw him smile.</p><p>"I don't think we've changed at all." Basil mumbled. Sunny wanted to ask him to say more, but Basil started talking again. Maybe he knew Sunny wanted him to. Or just that if he wanted to, he could.<br/>"We're still just scared, stupid kids. I've really missed you. I'm sorry I let everyone believe you were some violent monster. For not telling them the truth."</p><p>Sunny shook his head. Basil seemed surprised but he pushed it aside, smiling again. Softer, this time.</p><p>"We can make things a lot better, still. For us."</p><p>Sunny brushed the back of Basil's hand with his thumb. Everything would be okay. Guilt clung to the air but it left his door with inky footprints.<br/>He didn't feel so scared of drowning anymore.<br/>Basil let out a shaky breath and fell onto Sunny again. His hair was soft, brushing against Sunny's cheek.<br/>He felt himself smile, leaning into Basil.</p><p>"All we have to do is tell them. I'm sure Aubrey will forgive us. I think Kel and Hero already have."</p><p>Sunny nodded, still hanging onto Basil's hand. All they had to do was tell the truth.<br/> Mari could come back home and hug him and say, "hey, little brother. I missed you."<br/>Her bed wouldn't be left empty, the piano wouldn't collect dust, the treehouse could be full of the same life it used to carry. They could be friends again, the six of them.</p><p> </p><p>Basil came to his door the day after. He looked nervous, but he invited Sunny to his house with fire in his voice. <br/>He introduced him to Polly, his caretaker. She was nice and she seemed happy to see Basil hanging out with someone.<br/>Sunny thought that maybe they would spend more time talking, spend more time fighting away the guilt that hung over Sunny, together. Instead took Sunny out to his garden. He apologised that he would have to sit while Basil worked, but Basil talked about each flower in the garden and Sunny just felt happy. He asked for a flower he could grow at home. He missed the kalanchoe he'd let wither away. Maybe Basil could forgive him for neglecting it if he proved he could be better. Basil's face broke into a big grin and he dug through a container of flower seeds like his life depended on it.<br/>He handed Sunny a tiny bag labelled 'orchid'. </p><p>"We can plant it here. You can talk to me for any help growing it!"</p><p>They filled a pot with soil and planted the orchid and Basil handed Sunny a tiny watering can. <br/>He watched him with a smile as Sunny carefully tipped the can. <br/>They sat together at his doorstep and stared out at the garden and the forest behind the mass of flowers. </p><p>"My grandma passed away yesterday. I'm sorry I… probably ruined your evening."</p><p>"No. It's okay. I'm sorry for your loss."</p><p>Sunny grabbed Basil's hand. </p><p>"Sunny, I…"<br/>Sunny touched Basil's cheek with his other hand. He wasn't really sure what he was doing. He just leaned forward. Basil met him halfway, kissing him and holding Sunny's head in his hands. For a few seconds everything was perfect. When they broke apart Sunny realised his face was hot. He turned away from Basil, hugging his knees to his chest.</p><p>He had no idea what just happened or why.</p><p>Basil rested his head on his knees, looking up at Sunny. He was blushing but he had a happy smile on his face that made Sunny's heart flutter.</p><p>Oh. </p><p>"I love you." Sunny said. His voice was muffled against his knees.</p><p>"I love you too."</p><p>Basil seemed to glow, smiling giddily.</p><p>Their eyes caught the orchid pot. Basil looked at him with love in his eyes. </p><p>"Do you wanna go on a walk together?" Basil asked him. <br/>Sunny nodded without giving it any thought. He repeated that word in his head. 'Together.'<br/>First, they made sure to stop at Sunny's house. He set the orchid on his bedroom windowsill while Basil inspected the bedroom curiously. He hadn't had a chance to yesterday, but it wasn't like anything had changed. It had just gotten colder without Mari. <br/>They held hands as he led him through a trail that Sunny didn't know existed. Sitting down at the foot of a tree, Basil started talking again. Sunny didn't want anything in the world as much as he wanted to just sit here and listen to Basil talk. He didn't think there was anything better than this. </p><p>Basil smiled, handing Sunny a flower. He wished he could've seen him smile like that from the stage, but the lights were too bright for him to see into the crowd. </p><p>"It's called a kalanchoe. There's a piece of paper taped to the side of the pot about how to care for it." </p><p>He seemed timid tonight. Sunny smiled for him, taking the flower in his hands gently. </p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>Mari hugged Sunny from behind. He was so startled he nearly dropped the pot, but after a short second of fumbling he managed to save it from it's doom. Basil seemed relieved too. </p><p>"Sunny, you did so well, thank you so much for this!" </p><p>Mari had tears in her eyes.</p><p>They'd fought last night. She had apologised to him on the drive to the hall. <br/>His hands were sore, gripping the flower pot. He nodded, unable to offer his sister any words. <br/>She was happy he'd played at all, probably. He hoped he hadn't made too many mistakes. He couldn't see the audience's eyes on him but he felt them. He felt their stares searing his skin and it made his hands too shaky to play the song perfectly, not that he was good enough to be able to do that in the first place. But Mari had played beautifully. She always did. <br/>Aubrey ran over to them, tugging Kel along. <br/>The two of them praised Sunny and Mari. They must not have heard the mistakes he made, the notes he forgot and the timing he screwed up. Mari would have. They'd practiced day and night for this, she would know how it was supposed to sound.</p><p>Basil took Sunny's hand. </p><p>"Do you wanna head to the parking lot?"</p><p>Sunny nodded. He hadn't realised how quick his breaths had become. Basil always knew the right thing to do, the right way to go. <br/>Basil had apologised to him too. He was sorry that the fight happened, that Sunny was so tired and stressed and upset. He helped Sunny calm down and Sunny walked him to his house. He wished Basil had stayed over. He wished he'd seen Basil smiling in the crowd. He wished Basil smiled more instead of being sorry for things he didn't do. </p><p>The flowers in the pot were orange. They were pretty. Sunny and Basil were sitting at the edge of a flower bed outside of the hall, waiting for everyone else so their parents could drive them home. </p><p>"You really played beautifully. Even if you didn't really like the song.. You practiced it anyway, and if you made any mistakes they don't matter that much." Basil said with a shaky voice.</p><p>Sunny hummed. He didn't want to move. He just wanted to watch the unmoving flowers. He wanted Basil to stay. He wanted to watch the flowers bloom brightly in his window and bring colour to his bedroom. </p><p>"Maybe if there's a next time, you can pick the song." </p><p>Sunny's hands tightened around the base of the flower pot. </p><p>"Sorry."</p><p>Basil turned away from him. Sunny's shoulder felt colder. He set the pot down on the pavement, grabbing Basil's hand with sore, shaking fingers. Basil wiped tears away with his other hand.<br/>He whispered another unneeded apology to Sunny and rested his head on Sunny's shoulder. </p><p>Sunny thought that maybe it was a nice song. Basil seemed to love it more every time he heard it. Even if the only version he heard was with all of Sunny's mistakes. <br/>His hand was warm in Sunny's and the soreness seemed to melt away. He leaned his head on Basil's and thought that maybe this was a good night after all.</p><p>They always seemed to melt together so well. Even lying on Basil's bed, saying nothing, doing nothing, the world seemed so much brighter.</p><p>When Sunny got home, he opened a chest he'd forgotten about. <br/>His mom smiled at him when she got home, leaning in the doorway to the music room.<br/>His fingers didn't hurt when he finally let go of his bow. He sat down with his parents and ate dinner and he didn't say anything. That had always been Mari's job as a kid - to cut in and ask questions and make jokes that they all smiled at. <br/>The house felt cold and unwelcoming but it felt alive, at least. </p><p>When he curled into his own bed that night there was no darkness at his door trying to force its way in. There was only the life buried in the flower pot's soil, books that had been read a thousand times and a night light Sunny forgot to turn off before he drifted off.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>im bad at finishing things jjsjshhdhd there will be probably only be one more chapter but hopefully people enjoyed this one :]]</p>
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